Income share of the richest 1% vs. GDP per capita in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Income share of the richest 1% vs. GDP per capita was 20.5% in 2016. ▲ Rising
Income share of the richest 1% vs. GDP per capita in Sri Lanka, 1985–2016
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for income share of the richest 1% vs. gdp per capita in Sri Lanka is 20.5%, measured in 2016.
That represents a change of down 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share of the richest 1% vs. gdp per capita in Sri Lanka peaked at 21.3% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 14.8%, in 1985.
That places Sri Lanka 17th out of 113 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the top quarter.
Income share of the richest 1% vs. GDP per capita in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 14.8% | — |
| 1990 | 17.7% | +19.6% |
| 1995 | 16.2% | -8.5% |
| 2002 | 20.8% | +28.7% |
| 2006 | 21.3% | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 18.6% | -12.8% |
| 2012 | 20.6% | +10.8% |
| 2016 | 20.5% | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 14.8% | 14.8% | 14.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 16.9% | 16.2% | 17.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 20.2% | 18.6% | 21.3% | 3 |
| 2010s | 20.5% | 20.5% | 20.6% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 14 Georgia 21.1% compare
- 15 Zimbabwe 21.1% compare
- 16 United States 20.7% compare
- 18 Costa Rica 20.3% compare
- 19 Russian Federation 20.0% compare
- 20 Lebanon 19.9% compare
More economy & growth data for Sri Lanka
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP -8.07 Percent per annum (2022)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP -7.82 Percent per annum (2022)
- Services, value added (constant LCU), per capita 352,842 constant LCU per person (2025)
- GDP deflator (base year varies by country), annual growth rate 3.69 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), annual growth 5.75 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.8843 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per capita 4,424 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), annual growth 5.34 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per unit of GDP 266.14 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per capita 1.33 million current LCU per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is income share of the richest 1% vs. gdp per capita in Sri Lanka?
- Income share of the richest 1% vs. gdp per capita in Sri Lanka was 20.5% in 2016, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest income share of the richest 1% vs. gdp per capita recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 21.3% in 2006.
- What is the lowest income share of the richest 1% vs. gdp per capita recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.8% in 1985.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for income share of the richest 1% vs. gdp per capita?
- Sri Lanka ranks 17th out of 113 countries with data for 2016.
- Is income share of the richest 1% vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Income share of the richest 1% vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of income received by the richest 1% of the population. Income here is measured before taxes and benefits.